FOUGHT FOR LOYALISTS

Otago Daily Times, Issue 23884, 11 August 1939, Page 9

FOUGHT FOR LOYALISTS

AN AMERICAN AIRMAN RELEASED AFTER TWO YEARS ST. JEAN DE LUX, Aug. 9. An American airman, Harold Dahl, after two years in a Franco prison, was among 90 released members of the International Brigade. Having won the Spanish Civil War, General Franco is trying his hand at national dictatorship, and is facing the inevitable problems of conflicting party ambitions. Seemingly, a dispute has arisen between the military group (who were the active co-operators with General Franco in organising the rebellion against the Government in 1936) and the Falange Espanola, or Spanish Fascist Party. General Franco is the head of the Falange, and it was round the banner of this organisation that the youth of Spain, who made up the rank and file of General Franco’s Spanish forces, gathered The Falange, however, is a civilianpolitical rather than a military organisation, so the present struggle for power, or preferential treatment, under the new Nationalist regime may be said to be a conflict between the militarists and the political section. The position of General Franco himself is a difficult one. He succeeded with the aid of both groups, together with Fascist and Nazi assistance from abroad. He is the head of each, and uncompromising support of ope might well be regarded as a betrayal of the other. So far, however, he appears to be supporting the Falangists, as reports have come to hand of the “ purging ” of the military group and the displacement from high positions of friends of General de Llano, who appears to be emerging as the leader of the military malcontents.